PlayStation Experience 2015 Impressions

Tyler went to PSX to see what would be there for the Vita. Come and read his thoughts!

Hello Vita community! I’m sure most of you watched the keynote and made up your own thoughts on the Vita’s presence at the show. For me personally, it was nice to see the Vita at least mentioned – but clearly nothing was announced just for the Vita. Even with this lack of any Vita focus, I think it was a good showing for our trusty little handheld.

Now the one thing that’s different about my experience with PSX this year was that I was actually there and got to play some of the upcoming games. The best part about this event was that everything I ended up playing was actually playable on Vita – which is the opposite of our PAX experience.

Severed

The game I was looking forward to playing most at the show had to of been Severed. The guys at Drinkbox Studios are bringing us this one.

Before playing this game I thought to myself; “Can Drinkbox Studios really make a touch game worth playing?” – which I think is a question on quite a few people’s minds.

Well, I was able to play a good 20 minutes or so of the game, and from just that short amount of time I could tell that this is a game I can’t wait to have. When you think touch you think mobile, and for the most part you think there’ll not be much to it. Severed isn’t shallow like that, it has depth and quite a lot of thought goes into each encounter. At first you kind of just wing it and are good, however as more mechanics get thrown into the mix it turns the game from swiping and tapping into something more. It’s this type of depth that I like in my games, instead of a mindless touch game this one challenges you to think about each move.

Drinkbox has been known for the colorful artwork, and Severed is no different. It feels very much similar to Guacamelee’s art, but with it’s own uniqueness to it – almost as if they’d taken a slice out of some fantastical world for Guacamelee and then gone back and sliced the other side of the world for Severed.

From unique enemy designs, to eye-popping environments, I think it’s safe to say Drinkbox knows what they’re doing with this one. The best part is it’s a Vita exclusive and even if you’re not a fan of this style of game (which for the record I’m not a fan of first person dungeon crawlers), I’d highly recommend picking this one up as soon as it launches.

Shakedown Hawaii

Next up for me was Shakedown Hawaii from Vblank Entertainment. Shakedown Hawaii in a sense feels like Retro City Rampage but with a massive tune up; everything feels more smooth. From the animation, to the controls, and graphics it’s just all around a better feeling version of what they’ve already given us.

I didn’t spend too much time with the game, but the time I did put into it was definitely fun. I found myself dying a lot, but that’s because I caused a lot of trouble and wasn’t caring about my character.

One of the biggest changes from RCR is that a lot of the environment can now be destroyed. Having this aspect in the game really changes the way you can interact with everything. With that in mind, Brian (the developer) also mentioned how you’ll be able to enter most buildings which definitely adds a lot to the mix. All things considered this one has jumped up on my radar as a game I really would like to play.

Cosmic Star Heroine

Heading over to the next game on my list, it’s time to talk about my time with Cosmic Star Heroine. This game really didn’t do much to excite me before playing, and I wasn’t sure if I’d even enjoy it; but luckily for the game (and myself) it was actually quite fun. It reminded me a lot of old school RPG’s of the 90’s, with it’s classic RPG feel and solid mechanics this game is now much higher on my “to buy” list.

The only problem I encountered with this game was not even the game’s fault, but simply the fault of circumstances; I started playing at a random point in the game, and had no idea how to play or what was happening.

This made it quite difficult to really get into it and understand anything, though the time I had with it made me want to know what’s happening in the story all the much more. Considering this game was not even on my radar really, and now I can’t wait for it, I think that says a lot about what they’re bringing to the table.

If Cosmic Star Heroine was on your “to buy” list then don’t worry it’ll be worth the wait. Now if it isn’t on your list, then I’d highly recommend you rethink that; this is one to look out for.

Trillion: God of Destruction

This was actually the first game I played at the PlayStation Experience, as when I noticed the banner and Vita logo I booked it on over right away to get in line.

Now the thing about this game is I’m not actually the biggest fan of the tactical role playing game genre. It’s never been my interest and this one is no exception (sadly). That said, seeing as how it’s a game being demoed on a busy show floor (and not something I’m playing somewhere I can concentrate) doesn’t help it what-so-ever.

The game had me maneuvering around a grid with a few enemies to attack. It looks very colorful and the graphics look nice, but that’s really all I can say about the game. I didn’t get a lot of time with this one, and being a genre I really don’t play a lot of I can’t say much about whether or not it’s a game worth getting.

It exists and it runs well, that all you’re getting from me on this one. 😉

MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptunia VS Zombies

The final game that I played was an interesting one to say the least as MegaTagmension Blanc + Neptunia VS Zombies feels a lot like Senran Kagura – but without the clothes breaking mechanic. It’s a game where you go around beating up tons of enemies with crazy attacks.

The portion I played was pretty simple, but even so I got to test out some of the interesting aspects of the game. The ability to switch characters on the fly and using my HDD transformation was seamless and really made a difference on how you fought against the enemies. The game also has you setting up your team of two so you can find that perfect duo for your missions.

The only problem I noticed with this game was that I could see it getting “old hat” kind of quick. Now, it was just a short burst of play on my part and it wasn’t anything to do with story (I was in a free-mode sort of setting), so seeing as that’s the only down side I could notice, you might not feel the same.

So, that’s it for me from PlayStation Experience. I had a great time playing these games and cannot wait to get my hands on a lot them. I wish I could get hours with these games to really tell you about them, but that’s the nature of these shows sometimes. Let me know what you are most excited for in the comments below!

Tyler Olthoff is a 24 year old who has been gaming since he can remember. In love with almost all types of games, the only type he can't stand (and that's probably because he sucks at it) is fighting games. His favorite genres would have to be shooters, RPGs, and adventure games. He owns almost every new system out there including PS4, PS3, XB1, PSVita and the 3DS, but barely plays any of them as it's mainly his good old Vita getting the attention!